Boston College media highlights
Highlights from 2024
Middle Eastern and North African people in the U.S. will have their own category in the next federal census. Connell School of Nursing Associate Professor Nadia Abuelezam discussed the significance of the change from a public health perspective, in interviews with ABC News and Stateline news service, here via Rhode Island Current.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine criticizes the publication for paying little attention to the atrocities perpetrated in the name of medical science. Professor of Film Studies John Michalczyk, the co-director of Jewish Studies who has written books and produced films related to the Holocaust, comments: New York Times.
Have helicopter parenting and a decline in unstructured play contributed to the youth mental health crisis? Psychology Research Professor Peter Gray—a longtime advocate for free play who helped design a study of play and student wellness being run by School of Social Work Associate Professor Jessica Black—discusses the topic: Boston Globe, CBS Boston.
Gambling is anything but painless when you take account of the cost of addiction and problem behavior, Carroll School Associate Professor of the Practice Richard McGowan, S.J., tells the Boston Globe.
Is Taylor Swift a poet? Professor of the Practice English Allison Adair, who specializes in creative writing with a focus on poetry, weighs in: AP via Washington Post.
Mortgages rates, high prices, and low inventory are making homes tough to sell in Massachusetts. Murray and Monti Professor of Economics Peter Ireland comments: CBS Boston.
The Cigna Group Chairman and CEO David Cordani talked about health and healthcare, in conversation with Suffolk Chairman and CEO and BC Trustee John Fish, at the latest gathering of the Boston College Chief Executives Club. Boston Globe (third item), NBC Boston video
The announcement that Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., bishop of Hong Kong, will be this year's Commencement speaker, and that honorary degrees also will be presented to four distinguished individuals, is featured by the Boston Globe. | Area speakers, including at BC and BC Law, also are cited by WBUR News.
The Tesla board is asking shareholders to vote again on the multibillion-dollar compensation package for Elon Musk that was thrown out by a Delaware court. BC Law Professor Brian Quinn comments: Washington Post, MarketWatch.
BC School of Social Work Associate Professor Cal Halvorsen weighs in on the benefits of a federal work program for low-income senior adults. Chicago Sun-Times
An issue brief by Economics Associate Professor of the Practice Geoffrey Sanzenbacher of the Center for Retirement Research finds “a case for tempered optimism” about the prospects for working past traditional retirement ages. More from Investment News.
Grant writing has been singled out as a crucial marker for promotion, but many scholars don’t know how to do it effectively, writes Lynch School Associate Professor Betty S. Lai in an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed.
Carroll School of Management Professor Sam Ransbotham, co-host of the podcast “Me, Myself, and AI,” spoke about artificial intelligence at a recent GBH Forum. Five takeaways from GBH News
Many Jewish poets and translators of Jewish poetry are unsure how to function, to write, and to publish in the post-October 7 climate, writes Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies Maxim D. Shrayer for Tablet Magazine, which also published his essay "The Silencing of the Jewish Poet."
The rise in the number of older people in the U.S. workforce is mostly, but not entirely, an upbeat story, Professor of Economics Joseph Quinn said in an interview with Newsweek.
Anqi (Angie) Chen, senior research economist at the Center for Retirement Research, discussed how credit card companies use instant approvals in a WalletHub Q&A.
Deals targeting athletes' future pay are stirring controversy in the NIL market. BC Law Professor and Carney Distinguished Scholar Diane Ring comments: Washington Post.
In March, the House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok unless its corporate parent sells the app within six months. It's an empty threat, according to BC Law Professor Daniel Lyons in an op-ed for TIME.
It will be important for all presidential candidates to make immigration a top campaign issue, says Professor of Political Science Peter Skerry in an interview with Newsweek.
Microplastics end up in oceans, food supplies, and, ultimately, people. Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., talks about how it happens: GBH News. He also is co-author of an op-ed in CommonWealth Beacon on threats to the Quabbin Reservoir posed by a proposed landfill, and comments on the EPA's asbestos ban for Politico's Greenwire and on the dangers of plastic pollution for Grist.
Will federal prosecutors prevail in a legal battle to dismantle the architecture of the Apple iPhone? Insights from BC Law Associate Professor David Olson: Yahoo Finance.
The theft of sensitive information from AT&T affects millions of current and former customers, the telecommunications giant said. Kevin Powers, director of the Woods College M.S. in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance program, weighs in for WHDH News 7. Video
Psychology Today features Connell School of Nursing Professor Ann Wolbert Burgess, the forensic nurse who helped FBI profilers standardize behavioral analysis protocol, and whose work helped to shift attitudes about sex crimes and the value of female colleagues.
In a 2019 article in Burlington Magazine, Assistant Professor of Art History Oliver Wunsch identified the subject of Toulouse-Lautrec's 1881 painting The Black Countess as the Haiti-born Countess Anne Justine Angèle de Peiger née Delva de Dalmarie — but added that a full portrait of her life had yet to be revealed. Now, The Art Newspaper builds on his research of him.
Clough School of Theology and Ministry Professor John Baldovin, S.J., discusses connections between Christ's Passion and Resurrection and present-day social issues, and encourages preachers to weave them into Holy Week homilies. America "Preach" podcast and article
Gen X workers are being passed over for roles of all kinds, especially as employers view young people as more malleable. Insights from BC School of Social Work Associate Professor Christina Matz, director of the Center on Aging and Work: BBC News.
BC School of Social Work Associate Professor Cal Halvorsen writes on entrepreneurship for adults 50+ in AARP International. He also is among researchers commenting on the importance of interactions between generations: APA Monitor.
The McMullen Museum exhibition The Lost Generation: Women Ceramicists and the Cuban Avant-Garde is highlighted by WGBH's Boston Public Radio (begins at 1:29:30); Antiques and the Arts Weekly features the recent gift to the museum of the Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust Collection of Belgian landscapes.
Fewer young people are choosing full-time volunteer work after college. A piece in America Magazine by O'Hare Fellow Christine Lenahan '23 looks at the factors contributing to the decline, and includes comments by Jen Lozano ’23, who has committed a year to Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Lozano talks about why she chose to serve in a JVC video.
Mississippi students’ reading achievement, which is above the national average, offers lessons for Massachusetts, where economically disadvantaged students have been in decline since 2016 and have not bounced back from the pandemic, writes Associate Professor of Political Science Michael Hartney, co-author of an op-ed in the Boston Globe.
A new report by Lynch School Associate Professor Angela Boatman and doctoral student Shadman Islem that delves into the characteristics and outcomes of rural-serving institutions has been featured by Inside Higher Ed.
In an essay for America, Canisius Professor and Vice Provost for Global Engagement James Keenan, S.J., proposes that the Church abandon two particular practices aimed at the LGBTQ community, and cites Biblical narratives that offer related lessons.
The key to fixing Social Security is to adopt a mechanism that automatically adjusts revenues or benefits if shortfalls emerge due to demographic and economic changes, writes Center for Retirement Research Director Alicia Munnell, co-author of an op-ed in the Boston Globe.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced bill to establish a 4-day workweek without a cut in pay. Professor of Sociology Juliet Schor, research leader for a global trial of the shortened workweek, testified about the findings at the Senate hearing: New York Times, AP, Boston Globe, CNBC. She also discussed them in a recent interview with NPR's "All Things Considered."
Professor of History Marilynn Johnson, co-director of GlobalBoston, a project that tracks the history of immigration in the region, discussed Irish migration and ancestry with the Boston Globe.
In an editorial for the New England Journal of Medicine, Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., underscores the health risks of plastics and cites a new report from Italy that links the presence of microplastics in carotid artery tissues to greater risk of heart attack, stroke, or early death. His comments on the findings also are cited by AP, Nature, Reuters, CNN.com, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, TIME, Fast Company, and the Independent (U.K.), among other outlets.
Donor-advised funds may have cost charities $300 billion from 2014-2019, according to a report from the Boston College Law School Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good. Law Professor Ray Madoff, founding director of the forum, weighs in on the subject: Boston Globe.
In a podcast marking the 75th anniversary of the National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH Director Joshua Gordon talks with Professor of History Martin Summers about his award-winning book Madness in the City of Magnificent Intentions: A History of Race and Mental Illness in the Nation's Capital. Listen
Morrissey College faculty member Martha Bayles writes on the abolition of character in an essay for the Claremont Review of Books, and on the character of tragedy for the contemporary culture publication Hedgehog Review.
Economics' Brian Bethune is quoted by Politico on the balance sought between too hot and too cool in regulating the economy, and by Reuters on the latest Labor Department employment report.
The Wolfe Tones, a trio of septuagenarians who have been performing Irish rebel songs for six decades, have played their final Boston concerts as part of an ongoing farewell tour. Professor of the Practice of History Robert Savage comments on the group's local popularity: Boston Globe.
BC's Appalachia Volunteers were once again Eagles for others during Spring Break. One group that helped to rebuild flood-damaged homes in Kentucky is highlighted by WYMT-TV News.
A new survey from Public Religion Research Institute shows a third of Americans sympathize with Christian nationalism. Professor of History Charles Gallagher, S.J., author of Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten History of the Christian Front, discusses how that message resonates in Massachusetts: WBUR "Radio Boston."
BC senior Matt Malley, head manager of BC's men's basketball team, is described as smart, grounded, and determined. He also has a message for those who, like him, are coping with a disability. CBS Boston
Interest in these richly-illustrated books is on the rise. Professor of History Virginia Reinburg's book French Books of Hours: Making an Archive of Prayers, c. 1400-1600 is noted in a feature on the trend by the New York Times.
"Wolff on Composition," a documentary directed by Professor of Communication Ernesto Livon-Grosman, is cited in a New York Times article marking modernist composer Christian Wolff's 90th birthday.
When, in 1990, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" android character Data referenced the "Irish unification of 2024" as an example of violence successfully achieving a political aim, the episode was not broadcast by the BBC or Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. History Professor of the Practice Robert Savage comments: BBC.com.
Elon Musk is accusing OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman of breach of contract for putting profit ahead of the public good. BC Law Professor Brian Quinn comments on the suit for the New York Times, The Guardian (U.K.), and Reuters, and on Musk's plan to join his own startup xAI with his social media platform X: Wall Street Journal.
Lynch School Nelson Chair Brian K. Smith, associate dean for research, comments on the use of specially trained AI-powered digital assistants to help college students with coursework: Boston Globe.
In an op-ed, Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence writes that a Vatican City-style arrangement for Al-Aqsa could stave off Tehran’s aggression. Wall Street Journal
A three-day "Jeopardy!" winner in December 2022, Sean McShane '19, a Freedom Trail tour guide who will begin the show's tournament of champions round on March 6, chats about the experience with the Boston Globe.
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society Professor Yi Ming of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department discussed the current state of climate change, COP28, and more as a guest on the podcast Gentlemen's Disagreement.
BC Law Professor Brian Quinn is quoted on the impact of the New York civil judgment against Donald Trump and his business: Washington Post, Agence France Presse, The Hill, Scripps News "Morning Rush." | He also commented on Elon Musk's threat to relocate Tesla Inc. to Texas: Bloomberg Law, and on Capital One's planned merger with Discover: Reuters, Yahoo Finance, Washington Examiner.
Two financial firms have pulled back on commitments related to a climate change initiative. Carroll School Finance Professor and Hillenbrand Family Faculty Fellow Samuel Hartzmark comments for Marketplace Radio.
In advance of her Lowell Humanities Series appearance, Joy Hargo—poet, memoirist, children’s book author, and the first Native American to be named U.S. poet laureate—is featured in a Q&A with the Boston Globe.
Microplastics reportedly have been detected in breast milk; plastic containers have been linked to pre-term births. Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., comments for the Washington Post and USA Today.
Stephen Schneck, who taught politics at Catholic University of America and was appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Liberty by President Biden, delivered the annual Alan Wolfe Lecture at the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. National Catholic Reporter.
If Milton, Mass., residents vote against the town’s plan to comply with the law requiring municipalities served by transit to write land-use rules that allow more multifamily housing, the state attorney general's office may consider suing the town. BC Law Professor Lisa Alexander discusses the subject as a guest on WBUR Radio Boston, and comments in the Boston Globe.
AI moves quickly, but organizations change slowly. Knowing the right questions to ask can lead to better decisions in finding the right AI approach, write Carroll School Professor of Information Systems Sam Ransbotham and colleagues for Harvard Business Review.
"My Woven Kipa," a poem by Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies Maxim D. Shrayer and published by Vita Poetica, a magazine about faith, describes talking to friends in Israel right after the October 7 attack.
Insights from Associate Professor of the Practice of Economics Matt Rutledge, a fellow at the Center for Retirement Research, on when to collect Social Security benefits and other aspects of retirement planning in this MoneyGeek Q&A.
For the first time, a Sinn Fein politician holds Northern Ireland’s top political office, a landmark moment for the party. History Professor of the Practice Robert Savage comments: New York Times.
After more than 20 years at the helm of the Catholic Church in Greater Boston, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap. reflected on his tenure for the Boston Globe, in a piece that included comments by School of Theology and Ministry Professor Thomas Groome.
"The Lost Generation," the McMullen Museum exhibition of women ceramicists and the Cuban avant-garde, was highlighted by the Wall Street Journal (scroll down) and Art Daily.
The biggest banks are effectively barred from engaging in merger activity after the 2008 financial crisis, but a new proposal from a federal regulator is making that restriction even more explicit. BC Law Liberty Mutual Insurance Professor Patricia McCoy weighs in: Bloomberg Law News.
A Delaware judge tossed out Elon Musk's record-breaking $56 billion Tesla pay package, calling it "an unfathomable sum" and unfair to shareholders. BC Law Professor Brian Quinn comments: Wall Street Journal, Reuters via Yahoo Finance, BBC News, The Guardian (U.K.).
Lynch School Professor Emerita Mary Walsh, executive director of City Connects and senior fellow of the Walsh Center for Thriving Children, weighs in on the impact of the Newton teachers strike as a guest on WBUR Radio Boston.
Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley is among leaders interviewed for a U.S. News & World Report feature on what distinguishes a Jesuit education.
School of Theology and Ministry student Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, who as undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops is one of the highest-ranking women in the Vatican, has been named to Forbes magazine's 2023 list of top women influencers and achievers (scroll to fourth entry).
How can caregivers help children exposed to the trauma of war? Insights from BC School of Social Work Salem Professor in Global Practice Theresa Betancourt, director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity: BOLD.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of a Colorado ruling disqualifying him from the 2024 ballot on the basis of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. BC Law Professor Kent Greenfield writes on the subject in an op-ed for WBUR Cognoscenti.
“Expats,” which was created by filmmaker Lulu Wang '05 with Nicole Kidman, follows the lives of American expatriates in Hong Kong. Wang talks about the project: Boston Globe.
An AI-generated robocall using a voice that sounds like President Biden has been urging people not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. Woods College M.S. in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Director Kevin Powers warns that more such tactics are likely: 7 News Boston (video).
School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Andrew Davis was invited by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to be a presenter for Sunday of the Word of God, established by Pope Francis in 2019: Video. | STM Associate Professor Jaime Waters was a presenter in 2023: Video.
The cost of $24.5 billion to fix the MBTA is high, but the costs to public health of doing little or nothing are far greater, writes Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., in CommonWealth Beacon. | He discussed the impact of exposure to lead and other hazardous chemicals in a Q&A with Times of India.
BC Law Assistant Clinical Professor Claire Donohue, lead author of a BC Law Legal Services Lab white paper on Massachusetts court-ordered parenting classes for separating couples, comments in a GBH News story on complaints about a class for "high-conflict" parents. | Read more about Donohue, a graduate of BC's M.S.W./J.D. dual degree program, here.
Retired BC Law Professor Zygmunt Plater argued and won the first U.S. Supreme Court case under the act, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. The story of that tiny snail darter fish is still important, he writes, at a time when the law itself is in danger of extinction: WBUR "Cognoscenti."
Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies Maxim D. Shrayer's latest book, Immigrant Baggage, is cited among the top Jewish books of 2023 by the editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel. Shrayer also is profiled by Jewish News Syndicate.
Whether the odds are stacked against him in a game, or in a toddler’s bedtime routine, being a poker entrepreneur takes a lot of luck, writes John Wolfson, editor of Boston College Magazine, in a feature on poker pro Bart Hanson for Boston Globe Magazine.